From Little Things Big Things Grow
| "From Little Things Big Things Grow" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly | |
| from the album Bloodlines | |
| A-side | "From Little Things Big Things Grow" |
| B-side | "Freedom" |
| Released | 1993 (Australia) |
| Format | 7" vinyl |
| Recorded | 1991 Paul Kelly & the Messengers version 1993 Kev Carmody version 2008 GetUp Mob version |
| Genre | rock, protest |
| Length | 6:51 |
| Label | EMI, Festival |
| Songwriter(s) | Kev Carmody, Paul Kelly |
| Producer(s) | Alan Thorne, Paul Kelly Paul Kelly & the Messengers version |
"From Little Things Big Things Grow" is a protest song recorded by Australian artists Paul Kelly & The Messengers on their 1991 album Comedy, and by Kev Carmody (with Kelly) on his 1993 album Bloodlines. It was released as a CD single by Carmody and Kelly in 1993 but failed to chart. The song was co-written by Kelly and Carmody, and is based on the story of the Gurindji strike and Vincent Lingiari as part of the Indigenous Australian struggle for land rights and reconciliation. Kelly and Carmody performed the song together on 5 November 2014 at the public memorial service for former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, who is the "tall stranger" referred to in the song.
On 2008-05-04, a cover version by The GetUp Mob, part of the GetUp! advocacy group, peaked at #4 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) singles charts. This version included samples from speeches by Prime Ministers Paul Keating in 1992, and Kevin Rudd in 2008; it featured vocals by both Carmody and Kelly, as well as other Australian artists.
The song was co-written by Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody, and is based on the story of The Gurindji Strike and Vincent Lingiari. It describes how the Gurindji people's claim sparked the Indigenous land rights movement. The protest led to the Commonwealth Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. The Act gave Indigenous people freehold title to traditional lands in the Northern Territory and the power of veto over mining and development on those lands. In 1975, 3,236 km² of land was handed back to the Gurindji people. Carmody described writing the song:
...
Wikipedia